North Is..⇡

Head Tracking for Desktop VR Displays using the WiiRemote

Just think about how awesome games like Call of Duty, Time Crisis, Metroid, and Metal Gear Solid would be. Even those boring targets floating in the air were exciting to watch.

Obama is giving the science community something we’ve been desperately clawing at over the last eight years: an ear for the sciences. It will be amazing to see what the first pro-science administration can do in today’s ultra connected world. I mean come on, YouTube has been around, why has Bush done ANYTHING with it yet? no Facebook page?

12/20/08 President-elect Obama’s Weekly Address

From landing on the moon, to sequencing the human genome, to inventing the Internet, America has been the first to cross that new frontier because we had leaders who paved the way: leaders like President Kennedy, who inspired us to push the boundaries of the known world and achieve the impossible; leaders who not only invested in our scientists, but who respected the integrity of the scientific process,

…

Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources — it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient — especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us.

Obama has already proven his ability to tame the beast that is the World Wide Web, let’s see if he can be just as visionary elsewhere. Maybe it’s just me, but but does  anybody else find it ironic that we’re all so excited about science, even more so because of the Bush administration being so against it?

A member of the Pantheon (Poseiden?) getting due recognition for aiding our nation's founding.

Today Jim DeMinit (R-S.C.) lambasted the new visitor center (yes, this guy has time in this economic crisis to comment on that state of the new visitor center on Capital Hill) as “Left-leaning”, and “portray[s] the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems.” DeMint suggests “This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.’” Right, because it was God who co-sponsord the New Deal, and it was God who finished that hard work on the Union-Pacific rail road, and oh yeah, wasn’t it God who ended slavery? Listen to this guy:

“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the history and purpose of our nation’s Capitol, but it (1) fails to appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success. While the Architect of the Capitol has pledged to include some references to faith, more needs to be done. You (2)cannot accurately tell the history of America or its Capitol by ignoring the religious heritage of our Founders and the generations since who relied on their faith for strength and guidance. The millions of visitors that will visit the CVC each year (3)should get a true portrayal of the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in Congress since its establishment.”

I noticed a few things about this statement, and you can refer to the numerated phrases in the quote.
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“It’s so cool that FIJI is sponsoring an event like this. FIJI is my favorite water!”

-Kanye West

The global market for bottled water amounts to approximately $100 billion in sales annually and consists of an estimated 154 billion liters of fresh water. “The United States is the world’s leading consumer of bottled water, with Americans drinking 26 billion liters in 2004, or approximately one 8-ounce glass per person every day. Mexico has the second highest consumption, at 18 billion liters. China and Brazil follow, at close to 12 billion liters each. Ranking fifth and sixth in consumption are Italy and Germany, using just over 10 billion liters of bottled water each.”

This demand is driven by a variety of factors, many of which are the result of successful marketing campaigns by bottled water companies as well as intrinsic marketing advantages that present themselves during the regulatory process. It isn’t all that difficult to convince consumers that bottled water is something they need since water is a physiological necessity; humans need water to survive, but is the bottle necessary? “The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages [water] a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages [water] a day” There is also a perception that the water being consumed from bottled water is somehow more “pure” than tap water. The fact of the matter is that the EPA heavily regulates tap water and as a result the water is very clean. Bottled water on the other hand is not a public utility, and therefore isn’t bound to the same sort of regulatory scrutiny from the EPA. The Food and Drug Administration handles the regulation of bottled water, and those standards are much more relaxed.

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Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we’re left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

As a modern (read: green) road warrior I find my electronics are often in need of some juice but I have no place to charge them. Enter the Power Monkey Explorer. The Power Monkey Explorer is a combination of two devices: a solar panel and a rechargeable battery.

Using the solar panel directly with my cell phone at WWDC 2008.

The solar panel is about the size of an iPod Touch. Via a suite of dongles that come with it you can plug this solar panel into just about any cell phone, mp3 player, or other small electronic devices that needs charging.

But what about those times I don’t find myself in the reach of sun light, I am, after all a programer and prefer the blue iridescent glow of the computer screen. This is where the Power Monkey Explorer’s rechargeable (weather proof) battery comes in. You can plug the solar panel into this, charge it up, and then use the juice whenever you need.

The single best part of the Power Monkey Explorer is that it eliminated four chargers I need to take with me when I travel.

The Power Monkey Explorer is a rugged device and I plan on taking it with me on all my future travels.

Charging the battery on a quick flight.